We had three teens and one fun uncle (35) jump into surf lessons, and wow, what a highlight of the trip! Major, our instructor, was the best; super chill, encouraging, and made everyone feel like they could actually do this. He said he's heading up to NorCal later this week, so we're already sad we won't have him next time. He kicked things off with about 30 minutes onshore, rules, safety just learning the basics and getting our balance, then it was straight into the waves. And yes, everyone actually stood up and surfed! The kids thought they knew the ocean from boogie boarding, but this was a whole new level of fun. Lots of wipeouts, tons of laughs, and those "I can't believe I just did that" moments. Eric, the owner, was awesome too, quick with texts, super helpful with any little hiccups, and just made it all easy. Such a fun, unforgettable experience. Totally recommend if you want to add a little "surf's up!" to your vacation. read more

Ventura Surf Lessons - Getting in the water! - Paddleboarding Near Me

Let me start off by saying I never leave reviews, but I feel compelled to do so.. Erik is an absolutely top-tier surf instructor -- I truly can't express enough how incredible he is!!! He was so kind, patient, and supportive throughout my lessons, and really helped me build my confidence in the water. He explained everything clearly, gave me helpful tips, and made sure I felt safe and comfortable the entire time. I left feeling excited to surf again and so grateful for his guidance. If you're looking to learn or improve your surfing, I can't recommend Erik enough -- you'll be in the best hands! read more

4 grandkids and myself took surf lessons from Erik and associate. Two 8 year olds and two 11 year olds. They were able to stand up on their boards and ride the waves for short periods of time by the end of the 2 hour lessons. Erik is very patience and encouraging to everybody. All the grandkids had a great time and were asking if we can do surfing lessons with Erik again next year. read more

My granddaughter & I were in Ventura (from AZ) for 2 days & I wanted her to try something new. Something that she has never tried, something she would be excited to talk about & share with her friends. Well...we hit the jackpot with Erik Flores from Ventura Surf Lessons. Erik Is an amazing instructor, very patient, informative, kind & extremely safety conscious! My granddaughter had a fabulous experience, which made grandma very happy! Could not have gone any better! Thanks Erik, Laura Hettiger & Lulu Addendum 6/23/2020 - So...Erik sent the Go Pro pictures and movies to me via DropBox. I thought I knew what I was doing and learned that I did not! I reached out to Erik asking if he would be able to resend the movie. He had deleted the movie from Drop Box to post other client movies (if the movie was still in drop box it would have been an easy fix to resend the link). Let me tell you Erik's extra effort. He went back into the archives and found the movie and resent to me in drop box. What amazing customer service...Thanks Erik!!! read more

I scoured through every surf school in Ventura to find the right one for my first surf lesson. The promptness that Erik provided sold me and I was set to go the same week I reached out to him. I was paired with Brandon. He went through the spiel on sand and was very thorough with explaining how I should get up on my board. I decided to go with the 2-step pop-up. He took us out into the water after about 20-30 min of instruction on land and through his guidance, I was able to stand on my first try! I just did exactly what he said and voila. It boosted my confidence significantly and I had such a great time with him as my instructor -- 2 hours really flew by! After the lesson, I asked Erik a handful of questions via text about equipment, and he graciously and quickly answered all my inquiries. I am so grateful. Superb customer service! I would recommend Ventura Surf Lessons to anyone. I couldn't have asked more for my first lesson, and the fact that I stood up right away and enjoyed some waves was definitely the cherry on top. Thanks guys! read more

I had an incredible surf lesson.. Was way better than I had hoped for. I dealt with Erik, the owner, to set up the lesson and elected the gopro video. He was a pleasure to deal with. My instructor, Ram, was great.. Very informative, helpful and friendly. i was able to stand up within the first few waves. I enjoyed the beach they use, the waves and beach were perfect for learning. i would highly recommend them and excited to see my gopro video and happy to have captured some video/pics. read more

So I decided to try surfing for the first time, and let me tell you, it was awesome!! When it came to finding a place where I could learn how to surf I really took in to account the different instructors out there. Erik not only met my requirements which included: 1. someone who has a lot experience out in the ocean (not gonna lie that place scares me at times especially when getting caught underwater) 2. knows how to surf and surf well (I would want to learn from the best of the best so that i could really learn the craft and enforce good practice habits) 3. Is patient and can adjust their teachings according to my strength and weaknesses 4. Is affordable ;) (that goes without saying) He also exceeded my expectations: - When i contacted him, he was very responsive and had a very positive vibe -As part of the lesson he actually records all the surfing you do using his gopro and then sends it to you! I thought that was really cool and was able to show my family that i really did go surfing haha - He provided all the gear including the wet suit and surf board - As if he hadn't already instilled trust upon meeting him i learned that he also has certifications as an EMT, he was a lifeguard, and a firefighter. I was really impressed with all the experience that he had. I honestly had so much fun, i didn't even realize that my once ocean feared self had now come to love being out in the water. I thought for sure we would just be practicing on land but I was out in the water and surfing on my board on the first lesson. Erik shows you the way all you have to do is set the pace. I felt so comfortable and safe and the time seemed to fly by. I really can't wait to go again. Erik really is the package deal. I am so lucky to have found him. If you are thinking of trying out surfing or maybe you've always wanted to but had some fears about the ocean like i did give him a call, you won't regret it :) read more

Signed up for 3 lessons and I had an amazing experience. I had a different instructor for each lesson and all three of them were just the best. Super helpful, filling the time between waves by teaching essential etiquette and doing everything to make sure you get a solid foundation. My goal was to be able to stand up at least once, and thanks to how awesome these guys were I actually ended up catching a handful of waves each lesson. They teach at Mondos which has to be the friendliest beach for beginner surfers. The vibe is awesome and the instructors make you feel comfortable out in the water and make sure you're having a good time. Eric the boss man is crazy helpful and will answer surf related questions in a timely manner and he always gives you his honest and best opinion to make sure you're getting started right. I highly recommend springing the extra bucks for the go pro so they can give you even more hints and feedback even after your lesson is over. This add on alone and the fact that they edit the footage for you is awesome. If you wanna learn how to surf, hit up Ventura Surf Lessons! read more

My wife, 2 kids, and I were traveling to the Ventura area for the holidays, and Santa surprised us with surfing lessons. We could see that Santa had done his homework when choosing Erik to be our surf lesson provider. In addition to his EMT and lifeguard certifications, Erik exuded a positive and calm vibe from the start, and he had a great openness to listen to my family's questions about the water and surf fundamentals. He provided us with much more than a board and wetsuit - his lesson started with a clear and engaging on-land overview of water safety, good surf etiquette, and a set of expectations that put us at ease. From there, it was into the water, where Erik particularly impressed us with his attention to the kids. We all had a blast - Erik is a natural teacher and his obvious joy made us enthusiastic and completely confident about shredding those waves. To top it off, we received terrific GoPro videos of our experience - a perfect souvenir. Erik is a professional who really listens to you, and introduces you to the beauty of surfing. He adds to the Ventura community and his surf lessons are the way to go. Call him, you'll love it. read more

Erik is the best. Really nice. Really diligent. Patient good teacher. Our kids love him. Can't recommend him enough. And he has been teaching our kids for almost 2 years. They can't wait to go surfing with him. read more

Erik was an outstanding teacher: VERY clear w his technique/form instruction, super patient, and reeeeally nice. After about 20min of board practice on the sand (good form IS everything!) he took us to the water and we had a BLAST...caught a bunch of waves...so thrilling! addictive! worth every cent...i overheard a few other instructors w their students while in the water...they were barking commands and all but blaming the students (beginners!) for every wave they didn't catch...i felt bad for those students but simultaneously SOgrateful for Erik's skilled instruction and teaching style. read more

Erik and Ventura Surf Lessons is the best! We started with him teaching my teen sons (after I found him on Yelp). Two lessons and they were set, and now have a new sport/hobby. My 10 year old daughter takes lessons now as well. Erik and the other teachers he brings in are all fantastic! We are grateful customers. read more

Erik!!!!! What can I say? This guy is T.H.E. B.E.S.T. He got my three little ones out there and worked some magic. My kids are 11, 9, 6 and had never surfed before. In fact, they were pretty new to even being comfortable with ocean swimming. My 6 year old only having just learned to swim (in a regular pool) a few months prior. So there was A LOT at stake. We went with another school at first because of a quick recommendation, and signed them up. Well, long story short - that "other" instructor completely missed the signs that my little one was struggling, to the point of tears within 20 minutes. She felt unsafe and scared being alone in conditions that were too big for her, and her confidence was completely shot down. Despite being told about her swim abilities, this instructor didn't seem to catch on that he needed to change his approach and FAST. As the parent watching from the sidelines, I saw the train wreck that was happening. My kid vowed to never try again. Well I was determined to not let that be her only memory of surfing so I searched again and found ERIK!!!!! I explained our story and my child's fear that settled into place from a prior bad experience. Erik listened, explained his POV about what could have, should have, and did not happen. He named all the errors that I knew was the basis of what went wrong. He didn't promise me a miracle, but he provided one!!! Now, I've got three little surfers, with the youngest one begging for more lessons. We owe it all to Erik! Thank you, Erik, for listening. I know I talked your ear off but it was exactly what I needed for me to know that I was making the right choice by getting her to try again. Was she super excited to start lessons with you? NNNNOOOOOOO!!!! In fact she almost didn't agree to go. Alas! After the first lesson, it was all "Erik this, Erik that, Erik can do a headstand WHILE surfing! ErikErikErik..." We'll be seeing more of you. Thanks for doing what you do! Yvonne read more

I'm so happy I decided to learn how to surf from Erik at Ventura Surf lessons. Erik is an amazing instructor with a remarkable background in surfing as well as up to date EMT skills and certification which really helped me feel safe. Erik not only explained the beginner tools I would need to surf he also explains surf etiquette for future reference. You also get the most value with Erik as he uses his own 4K GoPro to record and sends you the footage. Take it from me, look no further and take a surf lesson from Erik. read more

They rock!! Do it! You won't regret a lesson with these rad people! The medical background and years of water experience is a plus. Thanks Erik ‍ read more

I had my first ever surf lesson with Erik today. I have gone out on my own probably a half dozen times and I have never been able to stay on my board for more then 2 or 3 seconds.. After a thorough on shore conversation about surfing safety and pop up practice we went out into the water. After the first couple of waves Erik gave me a couple of pointers on my pop up and afterwards I was up and riding my first wave! It was the coolest feeling. I was able to catch quite a few more and had a blast. Erik is a very cool, down to earth Cat and has a great instructing style and patience. I think he was as excited, or more, for me catching that first wave than I was.. He also records the session with a GoPro and the video clips of my rides are awesome to review for future improvement but as lasting memories as well. Highly recommend Erik to anyone looking to learn how to surf! Very knowledgeable! read more

This is the second year my daughter took surf lessons with Erik. He's an amazing instructor and an even more amazing person! We will be seeing him again next year when we come out for our annual vacation!! read more

I am so thankful I found Erik from Ventura Surf Lessons! I scheduled my lesson a couple of weeks before my trip to Ventura and was not sure what day would be better to surf. To help me, he kept me informed of the weather a week prior and then a few days before and we were able to find the perfect conditions for my lessons. Anytime I called or texted him, he responded quickly. During my lesson he explained safety, how to surf, how to tell where the wave would take me and surfing etiquette. He explained it so well that I was able to surf on my very first wave! What I also liked a lot is that he took pictures and used GoPro to video as I surfed. Not only are they amazing photos for social media but they are good to review later for practice. As if that isn't enough, he is also an EMT which is a huge plus! I highly recommend Erik if you want great lessons and great company! He goes above and beyond! read more

Erik is an absolutely fantastic teacher. I took a lesson with him and most definitely plan on going back. He has a very calm and relaxed approach to teaching that creates an environment conducive to learning. His love for being out in the water is evident from as soon as you meet him. My class had a very similar flow to the other reviewers on here. I am a 25 year old dude and I consider myself in decent shape and he absolutely showed me what a fun and great full body workout surfing is. Thanks once again Erik and I look forward to working with you again soon! read more

E is the man. Great teacher!! So insightful and great educator on the process. Made it so easy and comfortable to go through a surf lesson as a beginner. Would recommend to anyone trying to get to started in surfing. Very encouraging and positive. Provided everything for us made it an easy process. No brainer to start with him! read more

I always wanted to try surfing and after moving to California I thought this was the perfect opportunity to try it out. I called him well past his hours of operation hoping to be able to schedule a surf lesson for the next day. Within 30 minutes he not only called back, but talked me through the services he provides and what to expect after the lesson. I was initially planning on shopping around, but after hearing what he had to say I immediately scheduled the lesson for the next day. Like most new experiences, it can be very intimidating to start out, but Erik took all of the stress and fear out of the equation. He puts you in a great position to not only successfully stand on the surf board(which I almost immediately was able to do), but to understand the intricacies of surfing. This includes safety, etiquette, and how to progress if you wish to continue surfing afterwards. The complimentary photos and videos that came with the lesson really added to the whole experience and helped me prove to some of my friends that I actually surfed haha. Erik was a phenomenal teacher and I can't wait to sign up for another lesson. read more